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Update - After having fillers (Surgiderm)

 
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/12/2010 11:08 am

For those who saw my original thread:

 

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Fraxel-Fi...ie-t280686.html

 

...here is an update as promised. My experience yesterday having fillers:

 

I haven't broken out for 10 months now, and have been off Accutane about 7 months. Yesterday I went to a specialist doctor to have fillers for my scarring. I will attach pics on the post.

 

It took me a while to find a doctor specialising in using fillers for scarring, however I found one :) The place I went to is called SkinRenewal and offers a variety of treatments from dermarolling to Laser Genesis...so many things. Anyway when I went in to see the doctor yesterday I was greeted by TWO doctors. Both very qualified and experts in the acne scarring treatment field. They discussed a variety of treatments and recommended a 5 step plan, involving laser, dermrolling at the office, dermarolling at home, carboxytherapy and finally fillers to solve any lasting problems. I said I wanted fillers though, no laser etc yet as my lifestyle and job dont allow me to visit often enough to have treatments every 3 weeks. The doctor said that was absolutely fine adn we can start with fillers rather than finish with them if that is how i want to go.

She suggested I buy a dermaroller and use it at home twice a week in the interim befoe startign any scar treatment schedule. I havent done so but will next month (finances allowing.)

 

So onto the proceedure...

 

I arrived at the offices which were very nice, modern and displaying info on a wide variety of skin/ face/ body treatments.

The receptionists wer very knowledgable and I met the one I had been discussing my treatment with. Before even booking my consultation, which was free, she had kindly showed the doctor my pics the week before and asked the doc if I was suitable for fillers, which I was. This was great for me as I'd wasted about ‚£200 so far seeing doctors only to be told they didnt use fillers for scars and to have fraxel!

 

So after a 5 minute wait (I was 20mins early) and answering medical questions, in I went to be treated by the TWO doctors. Both were very professional but friendly, and open to my ideas and thoughts. the best thing for me was, the operating doctor had work done herself and her pics were actually int he before/ after pages, so it was great to see a 'real' before and after.

 

As I previously said I was offered the 5 stage process, but went with fillers for now.

 

The doctor took lots of before pics of me, asked me if I wanted anesthetic (15 min wait) or just ice, I said ice was fine. She cleaned my face, and off we went. She chose to use Surgiderm rather than Restylane (you can google it), because she said Surgiderm is more long lasting and less likely to donut around a scar, it lasts up to 2yrs. I was ‚£250 for one syringe, which was enough to do all of my scars. She worked quickly and precisely, with the other doctor as her aide, pointing out anything she couldnt see from her angle etc. I would say altogether I had 30 + injections, she was thorough, even targetting the scars that didn't irritate me much. The ice wore off after a few mins and they did ask if I wanted more, but tbh the pain wasn't bad at all, just like getting an injection to have blood taken, but repeatedly, so I said, just continue.

 

After about 5 minutes the proceedure was done. I bled a bit but it stopped by the time I left the rooms. The doctor said I could wear make up immediately if I wanted to, and they would apply coverderm for me if I wanted, but I said it was fine. I'd rather not do anything to risk a breakout...espec with open needle points, I didn't want to ask for any trouble haha :)

 

So my boyfriend and I left the offices, me looking like I had a very bad sunburn and like I was recovering from a bad breakout. I got quite a few stares, but hey, I didn't care...I was on the road to normality!

 

The doctor explained I would have some small lumps at the sight of the injections and that I must massage it often, inside and otuside my mouth to help it absorb. But as we know, half the complaints about fillers are that it looks full when the doc does it, but when the swelling goes down, more filler is needed. My doctor combats this by overfillling slighty, preferring the patient to massage the small lumps over a period of weeks to help smooth them and ensure full scar correction. I said this was fine, I'd rather a few bumps than craters!

 

I took pics 4hrs after the proceeedure (yesterday), so there is still a lot of swelling, bruising and of coruse lumps from the injections and the excess filler Im sure. However, my left side (good side) is pretty much back to normal colour today, you can only see the small bumps in certain lights. My right side, which was my very bad side, is still quite red and swollen, a little bruised...it looks like Im recovering from a bad breakout. But the craters are gone, even the small ones. I think in a week I will be happy with the result. I imagine I will still have a few bumps, but the redness should ahve subsided and the swelling is subsiding by the hour my boyfriend says.

 

I havenlt taken any painkillers and it isn't sore at all today, just a little uncomfortable, like a mild bruise, on my 'bad' cheek. The doctor said Iw as very brave and tough for not having the pain relief etc, but tbh the pain wasn't that bad. i dont want to tell people not to have anethetic, because everyone thinks of needles differently, butI preferred just ice, because it allowed me to feel she was hitting all the right spots! i was also given a mirror throughout to see her work and point out anything she might have missed.

 

But enough form me and sorry for the essay. I just know I like to read real experiences!

 

finally, I've just taken some new pics...so you can see the difference from yesterday afternoon to today. (The less red ones are today) My right cheek was the very bad one. I think you will agree, the difference in 24hrs is quite remarkable. I looked like I'd been in a fire or something yesterday :)

 

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MemberMember
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(@feelsgood)

Posted : 11/12/2010 11:38 am

hey, i'm happy you found a doctor that does fillers. i know nothing about surgiderm, is it permanent? hopefully everything goes well with you. make sure you keep massaging the lumps.

 

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MemberMember
0
(@april-2)

Posted : 11/12/2010 1:11 pm

It's semi permanent. The doctor said I should get up to 2yrs with it. I knew nothing about it til I googled it, I think the good thing about it is it comes in different consistancies for different needs...ie for lips, scars, wrinkles etc.

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MemberMember
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(@waitingforacure)

Posted : 11/12/2010 1:19 pm

hey april thnx for sharing ur story. I also have never heard about surgiderm but yea i hope you get the results you want and keep us updated on how things go down the road ..good luck! :D

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MemberMember
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/13/2010 12:02 pm

Just an update. The swelling has gone down a lot today and there are only a few bumps left. I put concealer on, just a bit, and my face looked good enough to face the world. Not great or anything as there is still swelling/ lumps etc, but presentable enough :)

 

My good side, the left, the redness has gone. As has the swelling. I saw however that the doctor missed my main and only 'real' problem scar there, the filler is slightly too high. However the scar is more of a line indent and very hard to fill Im sure, especially as its only visible from certain angles. And as we know, no one sees our face as we do. It looked filled yesterday but now the swelling has gone I can see she missed a bit. Still, I will keep massaging t e filler and maybe it will even out a bit. My other scars on that side were quite small in comparison to my left and she filled the, slight lumps fromt he filler but they are going down day by day.

My chin scars are filled quite nicely, there were two very deep ones. There is a small bump on one but that's it.

 

On my bad side, she did basically every scar (about 15-20) of varying degrees. However after the swelling went down today I noticed she did either miss, or not fill enough, my deepest scar there. It did look filled yesterday and when she did it, but I think she did so much in that area tht by the time she got to it my face was already a bit swollen so it looked done', as all the scars were in the same proximity. Other than that she got everything, and its weird seeing craters replaced with bumps, but as it improves day by day...Im happy! :)

 

I will update with pics in a day or two. :)

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MemberMember
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/16/2010 10:08 am

Update with pics....day 5 after Surgiderm fillers.

 

Well the swelling has subsided a lot...the doc hit most of my scars, but missed the two that bothered me most. I have ciclred the man one. Other than that my skin is still quite lumpy, but the redness etc is diminishing daily.

 

Anyway I would be interested to hear everyone's opinions.

 

There are a couple of before pics for those who haven't seen:

 

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And today. in different lights... I have circled the main scar she missed:

 

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I had never heard of Surgiderm til having it done, the type I had apparantly lasts 2yrs.

 

I am buying a dermaroller next month and will roll twice a week at home and combine with caboxytherapy treatments, laser, dermarolling at clinic, poss TCa for resurfacing and if needed, PEarl laser at the end. It will be a long process but having the fillers first should at least give me some confidence back :)

 

 

Im disappointed the doc missed my worst scar, however the others still dont look great because of the bumps, but rather bumps than craters.

 

I'd like some people's opinions, its the first treatment I've had for my scars. I was going to have Fraxel but havent heard enough good things to convince me!

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MemberMember
3
(@minty-peas)

Posted : 11/16/2010 1:57 pm

Congratulations on your first treatment!

I hope you see positive results from this. Just remember to keep massaging those areas where you got treated to deal with the lumps. I think you did the right thing too. I had two laser treatments and wasn't getting the results I wanted. Fillers are less expensive than laser, and with the right doctor results are almost guaranteed with just one session.

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MemberMember
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(@marko_mne)

Posted : 11/16/2010 7:20 pm

hello. thanx for sharing your story and photos. i really hope you will get result you want! I see huge improvement, just need to get rid of those lumps and it will be superb. I really hope it lasts for you since I have few scars like yours were especially that one underneath mouth, i think its 100% identical as mine

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MemberMember
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/17/2010 9:39 am

Thanks for the comments :)

 

Minty my fillers were ‚£250 and that included the consultation and a follow up appt in 2 weeks. My doc said they should last up to 2yrs. Im still going to buy a dermaroller and roll twice a week at home. the clinic offers a good scar package, laser genesis (which is not havy duty), dermarolling in clinic, TCA, Carboxytherapy and then fillers if there is still a problem. I opted to have the fillers first but the doc said that wasn't a problem. I do have problems with large pores, ice picks and skin testure after Accutane too, so I think the home dermarolling alone will help with that.

 

Marko, the swelling and redness is decreasing daily. I will take a pic with some concealer on in a few days so the texture/ lumps/ craters remaining are more evident without the redness. Im hoping for good results. The scars under my mouth have seen a great improvement. I spent the whole of the last year depressed because of these scars, im just so happy I can finally do something about them. I suffered from acne since 12, but the scars are much worse than the acne IMO.

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MemberMember
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/18/2010 7:36 am

So it's a week ago today I had my fillers.

 

The majority of the swelling has gone, and there is only a little bruising left. It has shown however that the doc missed one of my worst scars on my right cheek, and a couple of thers are underfilled, however I still think there is a good improvement :)

 

Pics below :)

 

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MemberMember
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(@lovegreensmoothies)

Posted : 11/18/2010 10:00 pm

I think the one you circled is a boxscar, so it won't respond to filler and could look worse from it.

 

I think it may need to be subcised, but I'm not sure, because it may not respond to that. I am having a hard time telling if it's a boxscar or just a deep saucer.

 

The rest looks so improved! Once your PIH goes away things will look a lot better too.

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MemberMember
3
(@claire_35)

Posted : 11/18/2010 10:35 pm

Arent most of the scars that she had filled boxscars?and they all seem to have responded ok unless i am wrong anyway looks like you had some really good improvement April.

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MemberMember
0
(@o_adam_o)

Posted : 11/18/2010 10:48 pm

looks pretty successful to me so congrats really, I hope I could get that kind of improvement someday!.

 

goodluck with your further treatments, I know how damaging they can be to confidence

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(@lavish-habits)

Posted : 11/18/2010 10:51 pm

great improvement

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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/19/2010 6:25 am

Thanks for the comments :)

 

Regarding the one she didn't fill, I had 2 exactly the same and the other one filled perfectly. Doctors Ive seen has said they are rolling scars. They are like saucers :) Im not too clued up on the terminology to be honest but they aways disappeared when stretched out. The one that she didn't fill, it still looks better than it did so I think she just didn't use enough filler, possibly because the area was swollen from the injections done around it (the scars were close together.)

 

Im honestly seeing an improvement every day and I think the majority of swelling has gone down now. I'd say I have 70-80% improvement. I do still have some lumps from the filler which I massage, an dI will see the doctors thoughts when I see her in a week or two.

 

The scar she missed wasnt all that deep (nor were the others int hat area), but they were at the most unfortunate place on my cheekbone, meaning they looked very deep depending on the light.

 

Basically I scarred from every pimple/cyst I got while on Accutane. My skin texture doesnt help with the overall appearance so Im hoping after some dermarolling I will see some improvement also.

 

But the redness is fading daily and I am going to put make up on tomorrow as I think the redness distracts sometimes from the scars themselves. Im very happy overall though. These scars shattered my confidence for the last year. I moved to a new country, started a new job, all of this recovering from the Accutane breakout, so it hasnt been an easy road.

 

Im just so happy that I can have a bit of confidence. I know fillers aren't the answer for everyone, and like most people I'd love to do somthing permanent. But they are enough for me for now, til I feel my skin is ready for laser etc :)

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MemberMember
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(@frida-k)

Posted : 11/20/2010 10:31 am

WOWZA! Go April. My jaw dropped when I saw your before and afters. It appears you have had great success with the filler. Your updated pics look stunning. Beautiful skin!

 

Congratulations :)

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MemberMember
11
(@wynne)

Posted : 11/20/2010 11:16 am

Great improvement! It looks like that one scar got better, too, though. Not hugely, but definitely. All the rest look so good I'm amoze. :)

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MemberMember
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/20/2010 1:09 pm

Thanks for the lovely comments guys xxx

 

It's so nice to have someone say my skin looks BETTER, as opposed to 'OMG what happened to your face'

 

It's still not 100% and I think the overall improvement once swelling etc has subsided will be about 80%, not including the bumps, but they don't bother me much, I prefer them to craters. It still doesnt look great texture wise thanks to the bumps though, but I think over the next month will see where I'm sitting improvement wise :)

 

Wynne I agree about the scar, it's definitely improved a bit, and as I said, that area was quite swollen at the time so I can't really complain. What I love about this clinic is they concentrate on minimally invasive treatments, ablative lasers scare me, particularly as my skin doesn't heal as well after 'tane.

 

I can highly recommend the Surgiderm though, the good thing about it is it comes in different consistancies, which makes me think its a bit more tailored to needs, ie lips, wrinkles, scars, rather than a one size fits all as with Restylne. My doctor said I should get two years from this, but I will be happy with a year. I may get a top up in a motnh or two to fill the ones that have been slightly missed, but overall I'm happy.

 

Apologies if I've inundated with pics and info a bit, but I just know persoanlly I always want to see people's 'after' shots and hear their experiences. Too many people seem to vanish when something works for them, leaving us to wonder if it did work or not. It's nice to hear good stories with an ENDING now and again :) ...Not that the battle with scars ever ends, but its always great to see an improvement!

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MemberMember
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/20/2010 1:12 pm

WOWZA! Go April. My jaw dropped when I saw your before and afters. It appears you have had great success with the filler. Your updated pics look stunning. Beautiful skin!

 

Congratulations :)

 

You're so kind Frida :) Thanks for the lovely comment. I'm following you're progress too! :D

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MemberMember
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/22/2010 4:26 am

So almost 2 weeks after my fillers.

 

There are a couple of underfilled scars but on the whole Im happy with the improvement.

 

I took some pics today with a bit of concealer on...natural light:

 

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Artifical light, my bedroom light which is never flattering:

 

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My skin texture needs some work, pores etc and I do still have lumps from the filler. In the worst light, ie sunset light my skin still doesnt look great, but its a lot better than it was. Just covering the redness with a little conealer makes seeing the improvement much easier :)

 

The bruising has gone and my face is no longer sore. No bad reactions, no breakout, nothing bad to report, other than the doc missing a fwe scars. But another half a syringe and I rreckon I will be good to go. :)

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MemberMember
2
(@paulyd)

Posted : 11/22/2010 6:24 am

HUGE improvement. Well done. Shoves shit in the face of some people who claim that fillers are a waste for the kind of scars you have. Now, don't get lazy with working on a more permanent solution to your scars but what a lift me up for while you do so :)

 

I'm thinking about getting fillers in a few months after rolling and stamping for a while.

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MemberMember
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(@april-2)

Posted : 11/22/2010 6:56 am

Thanks Buddy :)

 

Absolutely that's exactly what this is, a cnofidence boost while I find the correct teatment for me. I spent the last year completely depressed over these scars. I feel so much better already :)

 

Im going to start dermarolling n the next month or two, and also have clinic skin needling, TCA and carboxytherapy, a done by the doc who did my fillers. She is great :) Helps when they specilise in fillers for scars. It took me a year to find her, I literally travelled the whole country and saw countless derms and surgeons.

 

I asked about the effectiveness of rolling after fillers and she said it's fine to do, and recommends me doing it twice a week at home and once a month/ 6 weeks at the clinic.

 

I wish you good luck with your treatment and highly recommend Surgiderm as a filler for the boxcar/rolling type scars I had, she sai restylne just wouldn't be efffective enough and I needed something thicker that wouldn't donut. :)

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MemberMember
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(@luvskincare13)

Posted : 11/22/2010 11:56 am

Hi April,

Thank you for taking great photos and sharing your experience. This is one one the best afters I have see. Great improvements. Your skin looks awesome. I like the idea of this filler! Please keep us updated in the future.

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MemberMember
1
(@sassy74)

Posted : 11/22/2010 4:20 pm

You look fantastic! So happy for you. It's so nice to see someone experience great improvement and have the pictures to prove it. I sincerely wish you all the best. I wish I could get fillers, but unfortunately, my scars are the dreaded "ice picks". Bravo for you though!!

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3
(@minty-peas)

Posted : 11/22/2010 6:14 pm

Your skin looks great! You've had such a big improvement. Congratulations again!!

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